Ironing-board



G. ADAMS.

IRONING BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.12V. I920.

1,357,01 7, Patented Oct. 26, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

G. ADAMS.

IRONING BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12, 1920.

Patented Oct. 26, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET'2- jzz/e zrf ail 627% oyczama 13 W M GRIDLEY ADAMS, OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IRONING-BOARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 26, 1920.

Application filed January 12, 1920. Serial No. 350,808.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GRIDLEY ADAMS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and btate of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Ironing-Boards, of whichthe following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved construction ofan ironing board and the like with folding legs.

It consists in the elements and features of construction shown anddescribed as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings Figure l is a'side elevation of an ironing boardequipped according to this invention, the same being shown in erectedposition for service. 7

Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view of the board with the legs extended aswhen in use.

Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view of the board with the legs folded upagainst it as when out of service. 7

Fig. 4 is a detail section at the line 4, on Fig. 3.

In the structure shown in the drawings the ironing board or ironingtable top member is shown at A, and this member is hereinafter referredto as the board. To the under side of the board, A, there are hinged ata comparatively short distance from the wider end of the board at theunder side thereof at approximately the same transverse line, andconveniently by means of the same pivot support, a, a supportconsistingof two legs, B, B, constituting the support of'one end of theboard, and two diverging members, C, C, of a unitary leg which extendsobliquely longitudinally of the'board and constitutes support of theopposite end of'the board, being adapted to thus support said oppositeend by means of a brace member comprisingthe two arms, D, D, which areconnected together by means of a cross-tie, D the three partsconstituting a unitary structure moving toether as a single brace forthe two'arms, I), D, of said support. This brace member having its armsconnected together, and pivotally connected at one end as stated to thesupport, 0, C, has the other ends engaged in slideways, F, F, fastenedto the under side of the board, permitting the T cross-heads, d, d, ofsaid arms, D, D, to slide toward the end at which the supports, B, B,are plvoted as described, for permitting the supports, C, C, to fold upagainst the under sidevof the board, said slideways having stopshoulders, f, at the other end of the course for engaging said Tcrossheads to stop them from slidin 1 and cause the brace to hold thesupport, a C, in extended position for supporting the board. The guardor retainer of the slideway is a spring, F which operates against thecross-head to force it into engagement with the shoulder when thecross-head reaches the support, reaches under the table and disengagesthe brace arms, D, D, from the shoulders, f, and holding the brace thusreleased, brings the support again to the floor, which will cause thecross-heads to slide away from the shoulders, and thereupon the supportcan be folded up completely against the under side of the board.

The legs, B, B, have their pivots, b, b,

slightly oblique to the length of the boards so that in swinging fromposition folded up against the under side of the board down to operativeposition, the legs swing also outwardly so that they diverge whenresting upon the floor to support the board.

For controlling the operation of the le s there is provided acontrolling lever, H, BI, fulcrumed onthe under side of the board at aline considerably outward from the transverse line at which the legs, B,B, are

. pivoted to the board, said controlling lever being convenientlyconstructed with two diverging arms to extend between andapproximatellgy parallel to the position of the two legs, B, when thelatter, as well as the lever are folded up against the under side of theboard as seen in Fig. 3.- These two arms of the, controllinglever arecon-. nected res ectively b links, L, L, with the two legs, B, B, theength of the connecting links and the positioning of their pivotalconnections on the lever arms and-the legs respectively, being such asto adapt said three elements,that is to say, the legs, the lever armsand the links,to fold up substantially flat against the under side ofthe board as seen in Fig. 3. These parts may be thus dimensioned so asto cause the lever, H, to extend in a plane substantially parallel tothe plane of the supports, C, C, at operative positionthat is, inposition of supporting the board for use. This is a preferential but notan absolutely essential relation of the part. The lever extends inwardbeyond its connection with the links, L, L, for connection, by means oflinks, M, M, with the two diverging members of the support, C, C; andwhen the several parts are dimensioned relatively as above described, sothat the lever'extends substantially parallel to the inclined directionof the supports, C, C, at board-supporting position, the links, M, willextend substantially parallel to the board at said supporting positionof the legs. The dimensioning of the parts and their connections asdescribed it will be seen will permit the sup ports, C, links, L, andthe lever, H, to fold up substantially flat against the under side ofthe table.

Upon considering this structure it will be seen that the entiresupporting structure can be folded up against the under side of theboard by manipulation of the supports at either end upon releasing thebrace, D, D, in the manner above described, and that at supportingposition of the supports, C, when braced by the engagement of the brace,D, D, with the stop shoulders, f, on the slideways, F, the connectionbetween the two supports afforded by the controlling lever and links, M,M, described, causes the legs, B, B, to be definitely fixed in theiroutspread or board-supporting position, and that the load resting uponthe legs tends to tighten and secure all the parts in boardsupportingposition.

1. In a device for the purpose indicated, in combination with a board, asupport for one end hinged to the board for folding up against the underside thereof, and means for stopping it in down-swung or boardsupportingposition against folding up; a support for the other end hinged to theboard for folding up in the same direction as the first mentionedsupport; a control lever pivoted to the board at a point longitudinallyoutward from the hinge connection of the second support; a transmittinglink connecting said control lever to the second support, said linkbeing dimensioned and the points of connection thereof to the lever andsupport respectively being positioned relatively to permit said threeconnected parts to fold up substantially flat at the under side of theboard; the control lever being extended beyond the hinge connection withthe transmitting link, and a link connected at one end to said leverextension and 'at the other end to the first mentioned support, thedistance between the pivot to the board of the lever and the firstmentioned support plus the distance from the said pivot of the supportto the pivot thereto of the-last mentioned link being substantiallyequal to the sum of the lengths of aid last mentioned link and thelever, whereby said lever link and support may be folded upsubstantially fiat against the under side of the board.

2. In the construction defined in claim 1,

a second support comprising two laterally separated legs, eachseparately hinged to the board, the controlling lever being a unitarymember and the transmitting links being duplicated for connecting thetwo legs respectively With said unitary controlling lever, whereby thecontrolling lever causes the two laterally separated legs to operatetogether for folding and unfolding.

3. In the construction defined in claim 1, foregoing, the second supportcomprising two laterally separated legs, having their hinge pivotsoppositely oblique to the length of the board, the controlling leverbeing a unitary member and the transmitting links being duplicated forconnecting said unitary member with the two laterally separated legsrespectively.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, Illinois,this 9th day of January, 1920.

GRIDLEY ADAMS.

